Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Today, I’m celebrating the holiday with a nice bowl of Split Pea Soup cooked in the Crock Pot. As a snack while we waited for the slow cooker to finish, we sliced a block Murray’s Irish Cheddar cheese to go with a glass of dark stout beer.  Yummo!  

Check out this tasty treat at the following link: https://www.murrayscheese.com/irish-cheddar

I know the norm for the holiday is corned beef and cabbage. But for those that are cooking challenged (like me) and those that aren’t a fan of corned beef and cabbage (like Sgt Wonderful), our Split Pea Soup cooked in the slow cooker is perfect.  Easy, tasty, and GREEN!  

Sgt Wonderful’s Split Pea Soup

1 lb package dry split pea soup

16 oz chopped ham

1 carrot,diced

1 celery stalk, diced

2 med potatoes, cut to 1 inch cubes

1 cup onion, diced

2 qts water

3 chicken bullion cubes

Salt/pepper to taste

IMPORTANT! - - Follow the directions on the dried split pea bag (who knew there could be tiny stones in there???).

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot. 

Set pot on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. 

30 minutes before finished, remove about half and place into a blender or food processor.  This part is option depending upon how you like your soup (chunky or smooth). 

Blend til smooth (be careful with that hot liquid - it tends to pop the top off the blender if you’re not careful).  

Then pour blended soup back in to the pot. Again, depending upon your preference for consistency (I like mine a little more chunky), you can repeat the blending process.  

Finally, serve when ready.  

We eat ours with crackers and a sprinkling of shredded Gruyere cheese (or the Murray’s Irish Cheddar for today’s meal). Delish!

Have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!